John O'Boyle/The Star-LedgerThe Bergen County office of the NJEA issued a memo that included a "prayer" that joked about Gov. Chris Christie's death.

The New Jersey Education Association, the state's largest teachers' union, apologized to Gov. Chris Christie for an "inappropriate prayer" and condemned a memo sent by its Bergen County regional office that indirectly wished for the governor's death.

The NJEA has been locked in a public battle with Christie, who has slashed $820 million in school funding while calling on teachers to reopen contracts and accept wage freezes to avoid layoffs and program cuts.

The state's largest teachers union has been locked in a public battle with Christie, who has proposed slashing $820 million in school funding while calling on teachers to reopen contracts and accept wage freezes to avoid layoffs and program cuts.

Robert Sciarrino/The Star-Ledger Barbara Keshishian, president of the 196000-member New Jersey Education Association, addresses members of the Senate Budget Committee during public hearings in regard to Governor Chris Christie's budget cuts in this March 23, 2010 photo.Barbara Keshishian, the union's state president, said today she would reach out to Christie's office to apologize for all NJEA members.

"Language such as that has no place in civil discourse," Keshishian said in a statement. "It was intended as humor, but it is not funny. Our ongoing discussion with Gov. Christie is centered on serious issues of significant importance to the state, and that must be the focus of all our conversation. We deeply regret that the 'prayer' reference was included in the letter, and we apologize to Gov. Christie for both the content of the 'prayer' and the lack of respect it demonstrated."

At a public event today in New Brunswick, Christie said the letter urging members to "pray for my death" is "beyond the pale."

"I think the events of the last 24 hours tell you this is not a problem with teachers, but it is exactly as I put it all along: a problem with the teachers union," Christie said. "When I called them 'the bullies of State Street,' I think you see why today."

Told of the union's claim the letter was a joke, Christie said: "I wonder."

"They said they didn't intend it to be public," he said. "So private prayer for my death would've been okay. Public prayer for my death somehow is not okay."

Christie said his strong rhetoric about NJEA dues and salaries is not to blame for the angry tone of debate. He has criticized teachers unions for being unwilling to open contracts to take pay freezes instead of negotiated raises of 4 percent or more, and said the unions' stance belies its insistence it is working for students' best interests.

"I've never made this personal," he said. "What I've made it is a professional disagreement."

He said teachers across the state may now feel "ashamed" to be part of the NJEA and said union leaders "need to reevaluate who they are and what they're doing."

"And I wonder," he said, "what the children of New Jersey will think."

After the news conference, Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak said the governor was aware of the apology prior to his remarks. Drewniak declined to discuss the apology.

Governor to teachers unions: I will not back downIn a talk with The Star-Ledger editorial board, Gov. Chris Christie said the time has come to confront teachers unions and renegotiate contracts that offer generous benefit packages and salary increases at a time of unprecedented fiscal crisis. (Video by Nyier Abdou and Brian Donohue)

Chris Christie visits Boonton school, praises union for agreeing to wage freezeWhen Gov. Chris Christie issued a budget that heavily slashed public school funding, he threw down the gauntlet for teachers unions to take a hit and reopen contracts to avoid program cuts and job losses. Today, Christie visited one school district that took up the challenge. Boonton schools lost some $1.2 million in school aid. Superintendent Christine Johnson says the district was headed for a minimum of 25 jobs being cut and cuts to school programs when she called an emergency faculty meeting. Less than a week later, a deal was struck with the Boonton Education Association, the union that represents the district’s teachers, secretaries and maintenance workers, that involved a nine-month wage freeze, among other concessions. Speaking outside John Hill Elementary School, Christie praised the union for having the courage to essentially renegotiate its contract and urged other districts to do the same. (Video by Nyier Abdou/The Star-Ledger)